Always Hope

Sorry to indulge in Schadenfreude, but if it was ever justified, this is the moment: Fraser: Richard, I'm sure you could name the full title of On the Origin of Species ? Dawkins: Yes, of course.  Fraser: Go on, then. Dawkins: On the Origin of species by, errr, selection, oh, um, (mumble, mumble), oh God, it's got quite a long subtitle [getting very cross], I, um... Justin Webb: Pretty close! Listen to the whole conversation here What's so delicious about this is that Giles Fraser was accusing Professor Dawkins of creating a whole load of ridiculous and impossible conditions that people must fulfill before he will allow them to be "Christian". His point was that we could do the same thing for atheists and it would be equally ridiculous, because nobody would be allowed to be called an atheist unless, for example, they could name the full title of the Origin. A point which Dawkins then kindly demonstrated for him.

Richard Dawkins was trending on Twitter yesterday, on the strength of an interview with Paxman on Newsnight last night ( link here , jump in at about 36 minutes). As we might expect, Dawko was on the box to promote his latest book, which apparently is aimed at children and shows them how to free their minds from superstition and religion, and become rational-minded thinkers like Dawkins. The present Dawkins is a more congenial figure than the blood-spitting one of the past.  Formerly atheism's Grand Inquisitor, sworn to seek and destroy all those who opposed the true word of Dawk, he has re-cast himself as an evangelist, eyes burning with certainty, seeking to persuade the unbelieving masses by the power of his words.  He is the true antithesis of the religious believers he so despises. Watching him last night prompted a couple of observations. One is that the church needs more people who can communicate on TV with the same degree of clarity and certainty that Dawkins does. ...

The National Secular Society has published its latest outpouring of righteous indignation. The object of wrath this time is the BBC, who have altered their editorial policy , extending a list of controversial subjects that need to be handled with care, to include religion. In practice this seems to mean that editors will not broadcast items that are likely to cause offence to religious groups. Whether religion needs this sort of protection is an interesting question. But the NSS contributes nothing to this debate by putting out a press statement that can be accurately summarised as follows: "it's not FAAAIIIRRRRRR......" In fact this would accurately summarise most of their communiqués. When I first became aware of the NSS and similar organisations, I found them quite threatening, imagining them to be a real danger to the freedom of faith and conscience that we enjoy in this country. But the more I hear of them, the less I can take them seriously. There's a real prob...

I've just a finished a great book - This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson, his first and only novel, as he sadly died shortly after writing it. It's a fictional reconstruction of the famous voyage of the Beagle , and the relationship between Charles Darwin and the brilliant but flawed Captain of the Beagle , Robert FitzRoy. While Darwin has become a landmark in modern history, FitzRoy is hardly known, and is usually thought of as a footnote to Darwin. "Fictional" is hardly the word, though, as Thompson, drawing on meticulous research, sticks mostly to the facts of the account, proving once again that real life is often more gripping than anything an author can make up. This Thing of Darkness was well received when it was published, although not everybody liked it. Setting aside literary snobbery, the most telling criticism is that Thompson was a little ponderous in the moral messages he puts across. This is completely fair, but there is at least something refreshin...

Richard Dawkins' latest offering, Faith School Menace ?, aired last night on Channel 4, where he seems to have almost taken up residence, so many hours have they devoted to him and his views. But before Christians leap to complain, we should note that Channel 4 has been by far the most interesting religious broadcaster of the last few years, giving time to a range of religious perspectives, including some Christian, that other channels just won't touch. And they have probably worked out that they'll get more Christians watching if they put Dawkins on, than they would for any church leader. Dawko's current crusade (or the current aspect of his ongoing crusade) is directed against faith schools. He has taken up the long-standing grudge of British secularists about this, and thrown his considerable weight behind it. And Faith School Menace? began in fairly predictable fashion. Dawkins has never been embarrassed to use overheated rhetoric, and the introduction was what w...

A swift update on the previous post, thanks to the brilliant Church Mouse Blog: It turns out that Mayor Colin Hall is a stooge in the campaign to ban council prayers and is one of only two mayors to so far condone this nasty and small-minded trend. Whilst I symapthise with Mouse's triumphalism, I feel it would be ungracious of me to withdraw my previously offered sympathy and advice. Always Hope wishes Mr Hall well in his search for better fitting trousers, and in this way hopes to heap burning coals upon his head (but not down his trousers). [Proverbs 25:21-22, Romans 12:20]

Another good story from the Church Times features Boris Johnson's appearance at the latest Global Day of Prayer event in London. Perhaps slightly stumped as to a suitable subject for Mayoral comment on such an occasion, Boris plumped to involve himself in the controversy over whether local councils should say prayers before their meetings. This is, of course, a serious matter and one that I feel is very important. It has recently been brought to a head by the National Secular Society, who have launched a campaign attempting to intimidate councils into giving up prayers by insinuating they may face legal action. This makes us ask hard questions about the use of faith language, and especially Christian language, in public discourse - perhaps even forcing us to consider the essential nature of modern British society. And Boris' contribution to this complex and fraught debate? "It's a load of old cobblers" he tells Premier Radio . (Nice link, also has a typically...